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Doctors Are Advised on Treating a Hoarse Voice

医生治疗嘶哑指导方针

This is the VOA Special English Health Report.

If using your voice is difficult, then you know what dysphonia is. The more common name for this disorder is hoarseness. Experts say about one in three people will become hoarse at some point in their lives. In the United States alone, an estimated twenty million are affected at any given time. Infections, smoking and using your voice too much, too loudly or just incorrectly can all cause  hoarseness. It happens more commonly in women, children, the elderly and those who use their voice a lot in their jobs. Experts say hoarseness costs several billion dollars a year in lost productivity from people missing work.

Now, doctors have the first treatment guidelines from the American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Foundation. The new guidelines recognize that most cases are not serious and go away within a few days. But hoarseness can also be a sign of something worse. Doctor Richard Rosenfeld helped develop the guidelines.

RICHARD ROSENFELD: "We want to really call attention to the fact that hoarseness is not just a symptom. It occurs as a result of something underlying which can be potentially serious." He says there are some situations where people should get examined sooner rather than later.

RICHARD ROSENFELD: "So if you have hoarseness with tobacco or alcohol use, that would be a significant risk factor for cancer or other problems of the throat that could be serious. If you have any sort of a mass or growth in your neck at the same time, that would be very suspicious."   

The same is true if hoarseness begins after an accident or injury. Or if you are also losing weight for no reason. Or if you are trying to rest your voice but it keeps getting worse. If hoarseness continues or the cause is unknown, doctors should perform an examination called a laryngoscopy. This is done in the doctor's office to look down the throat at the voice box and vocal chords.The guidelines urge doctors not to use other imaging methods like CT or MRI scans until they have done this. They are also advised not to give anti-reflux medicines for hoarseness unless they are sure patients need them. And doctors are told that steroids or antibiotics given by mouth are not recommended for hoarseness. The guidelines say voice therapy is a well-recognized intervention. And they suggest ways to avoid getting hoarse. Drink lots of water. Avoid tobacco smoke and other irritants. And for people who use their voices a lot, like singers or professional speakers, get voice training and use an amplifier.

And that's the VOA Special English  Health Report, written by June Simms. I'm Steve Ember.

这里是VOA特别英语健康报道。

如果发声困难，你就知道什么叫做“言语障碍”。这种不适状况的通俗叫法是“嘶哑”。专家称，大约三分之一的人生活中会出现嘶哑。仅仅在美国，随时都有大约2000万人受嘶哑影响。口腔疾病，吸烟，用声过度，声音过大，或者发声不正确都会导致嘶哑。女性，儿童，长者和工作中使用声音比较多的人更容易发生这种情况。专家称，每年人们因嘶哑缺工而减少的生产力将耗费数十亿美元。

现在，医生得到了来自美国耳鼻喉学的首例治疗指导方针。新出台的指导方针认为，大多数病例都不是很严重，几天之内症状就会消失。但是嘶哑也可能是更糟糕的疾病的征兆。

Richard Rosenfeld医生参与了该指导方针的制定工作。

Richard Rosenfeld：“我们希望能真正引起人们的注意，嘶哑并不仅仅是一种症状。嘶哑可能由于一些潜在的危险疾病导致。” 他说，在有些情况下，人们应该尽早进行检查。

Richard Rosenfeld：“如果因吸烟或饮酒而嘶哑，可能是咽喉癌或其他严重疾病的危险因素。如果同时颈部有肿块或者颈部增生，这是非常可疑的。”

如果事故或受伤过后出现嘶哑，或者毫无理由的体重变轻，或者如果你试图休息一下嗓子，情况却继续恶化，也有可能是疾病的征兆。如果嘶哑的状况持续下去或者原因不明，医生应该进行喉镜检查，由医生在诊室对病人的喉和声带进行检查。该指导方针敦促医生在进行喉镜检查之前不要使用其他图像方法，比如CT或者MRI。该指引还建议医生不要给病人使用防逆流，除非他们确定病人需要。医生还被告知不要建议病人服用口服类固醇或抗生素来治疗嘶哑。该指引称，声音治疗是组织良好的调节治疗。他们建议了防止嘶哑的方法。大量饮水。不要吸烟，不要食用其他刺激性食品。对于使用声音频繁的人们，比如歌手或专业演讲者，进行声音训练并使用扩音器。

1.dysphonia n. 发声困难,言语障碍

2.disorder n. 混乱,杂乱,无序;骚动,骚乱;失调,轻病

例句：This school is completely in disorder.
      这所学校完全在混乱状态当中。

      This oil is very good for regulating digestive disorders.
      这种油对消化不良很有疗效。

3.hoarseness n. 嘶哑

4.symptom n. 症状,征候,征兆

例句：Doctors must be able to read symptoms correctly.
      医生要有正确诊断症状的能力。

5.underlying a. 在下面的;潜在的

例句：The investigation of causes and laws underlying reality.
      哲理的探讨在现实的基础上对原因和规律的探究。

6.potentially ad. 可能地,潜在地,假定地

例句：Myopic views could be potentially damaging for us;
      政治上的短视会给我们带来严重的后果。

7.suspicious a. 怀疑的,猜疑的,嫌疑的,可疑的

例句：Call Building security if a visitor acts suspicious.
      如果来客行动诡异就打电话给大楼保安人员。

8.amplifier n. 扩大的人(物),增幅器,扩大器